Sugar makes you fatter than fat

Probably the two most mentally and physically damaging words in the obesity epidemic are “FAT FREE.” If it’s fat free and still tastes really good, you can bet it’s loaded with sugar and if its sugar and fat free and doesn’t pretty much taste like cardboard it’s loaded down with chemical sugar substitute(s). With all the advice to eat low fat for the past 30+ years, why are we so fat???

Sugar spikes cause insulin surges and insulin promotes fat storage. Our body is only doing its job when it carts away extra sugars out of our blood and stores them in our fat cells. If our insulin does not lower our blood glucose to safe levels things will become a sticky mess, leading to such things as poor circulation, blindness, and amputations.

When we hear of or experience insulin insensitivity, diabetes, and obesity, most of it is caused by making the choice to eat or drink sugar and starch products ahead of or after periods of inactivity, either way our body’s capability to burn off this jet fuel properly is not there.

Naturally occurring fats in our foods are not the problem, (eggs, nuts, meats, avocados, coconuts etc.) but when we consume these fats and then dump sugars over a high fat meal or snack and get a spike in insulin, it changes the physiology of digestion leading to increased fat storage. We could probably put a big dent in the obesity epidemic by not drinking sweet beverages or desserts with our meals. Note: eating some protein and fat prior to carbohydrates or sugary foods will slow the absorption down and help avoid sugar spikes. If you imagine some fat/oil coating food that has a higher sugar content, it is simply going to take longer to digest, which is a good thing for ones that have a problem controlling sugar levels, (such as diabetic, or borderline diabetics).

Sustaining steady energy levels: food getting broken down into glucose is fuel to our body and if we eat foods that break down slower, our energy levels will stay steady without the highs and lows that come with high starch/sugar meals and snacks.

Another benefit when we start replacing high sugar foods (especially the processed ones) with healthy unprocessed foods is our calories intake yields a higher level of nutrients, and these nutrients help us feed lean muscle and vital organs for a better shape and vitality, this helps us fight disease as well!

Large amounts of sugar also kill off intestinal flora and we need the good bacteria from this gut flora to help stimulate the production of immune cells which in turn help break down bad toxic things in our diet that might cause us to get sick. Detoxing from refined sugars helps boost our immune system’s capabilities!

There are a few dietary changes we can make that can assist, double, and even triple the progress in our fitness goals and one of the main ones is sugary food or drink (especially prior to or after periods of inactivity).

Through the years I have seen many really hit their exercise routines hard, but the ones that double and triple the results they get, are the ones that watch what they consume!

Example: one 20 oz. soda or sweet tea would take around 45 minutes to walk off.

Reasons to curb usage of sugary food and drink: – aids in weight loss – helps control blood sugar and insulin levels – increased energy – more nutrient rich foods (when sugary foods are replaced) improves immunity – reduces inflammation and risk of disease – less gas – battling fewer food cravings – better skin tone – sharper mental clarity. Not sure how you feel, but the above list makes lowering sugar intake sound like a good idea!

Remember: If you want to keep sugar from making you fat -don’t use it before or after periods of inactivity or low levels of activity, it’s like putting jet fuel in a car!

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